Every licensed contractor must report each contract work order to the licensing authority within fifteen days of receiving it. The report is filed online, and it gives the principal employer's name, the site address, the start date, the number of contract labour and the duration. Section 50 of the OSH Code 2020 requires it, and a contractor that fails to report can have its licence suspended or cancelled. The site should hold a copy.
What has to be reported
Five facts about each work order. Section 50(1) requires a contractor that receives a work order, either to supply contract labour or to execute work through contract labour in an establishment, to intimate it to the licensing authority "within such time and in such manner as may be prescribed". Rule 94(1) of the OSH (Central) Rules 2026 and rule 51(1) of Tamil Nadu's draft OSH rules prescribe the same contents:
| Field | Why it matters to the site |
|---|---|
| Name of the principal employer | Ties the contractor's crew to this establishment on the authority's record |
| Address of the premises where the work is done | Identifies the site an inspector will visit |
| Date of commencement of the contract work | Starts the clock on the fifteen days, and should match the first day on the gate register |
| Number of contract labour employed under the work order | The figure a site's own headcount can be checked against |
| Duration of the work order | Shows when the reported work ends, which matters when the contract is extended |
When, where and by whom
Within fifteen days of receiving the work order, electronically, by the contractor or its authorised representative (Central Rules r.94; Tamil Nadu draft r.51).
- Central licences are reported on the Shram Suvidha portal (r.94(1), (3)).
- Tamil Nadu licences are reported on the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health portal for factories and building and construction work, and on the Labour Department portal for other establishments (TN draft r.51(3)) [VERIFY: whether Tamil Nadu has since notified final rules].
- It is a licence condition. Tamil Nadu's draft makes the fifteen-day intimation a condition of every contractor's licence (r.44(2)), so a missed report is a breach of the licence as well as of section 50.
Changes after the report
A change in the number of workers is reported too. The Central Rules require the contractor to notify "any change in the number of contract labours or conditions of work" on the Shram Suvidha portal (r.93(5)). Tamil Nadu's draft requires any change in the number of workers, conditions of work or other particulars already furnished to be notified electronically in Form XII (r.50(5)).
The work-order reports and the licence limit are two sides of one number. The licence caps the contract labour the contractor may employ "on any day" across all its work (Central Rules r.89(2)(ii); TN draft r.46(2)(ii)). A contractor taking on a new order, or ramping an existing one, has to keep the total inside that cap or amend the licence first, with additional security.
What happens if it is missed
The licence is exposed. Section 50(2) lets the licensing authority suspend or cancel the licence of a contractor that fails to give the intimation, after giving it an opportunity to show cause. Tamil Nadu's draft rule 52 sets the procedure for that ground: a show-cause notice, a reply within the time the notice allows, and a speaking order. The contractor can appeal any suspension or cancellation within thirty days (s.52).
For the site, the risk follows the licence. Section 54 deems it a contravention where a principal employer employs contract labour through a contractor who needs a licence and has not obtained one. How a suspended licence is treated under that section is a question for the site's own counsel.
What a site should check
- A copy of the intimation for this site, within a few weeks of the contract starting, showing this establishment's name and address.
- The headcount on the intimation against the gate register. A crew on the floor larger than the reported number, without a notified change, is a gap in the contractor's filings.
- The dates against the contract. If the contract is extended past the reported duration, ask the contractor how it has updated its report [VERIFY: whether an extension needs a fresh intimation or a notified change].
- The licence's headroom. The licensed number, less the contractor's total deployment across all its sites, is what is left for a ramp at this one.
- A clause in the contract requiring the contractor to give the site a copy of each intimation and change notice for its work there.
How Velura Services helps
We file the work-order intimation for every site we take on, with the site's name, start date, headcount and duration, and give the site a copy. When a ramp or a reduction changes our headcount on a site, we notify the change on the portal and keep our total deployment across all sites inside our licensed number.
Sources
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act 37 of 2020), Gazette text hosted by DGFASLI. Sections cited: s.50 (intimation of work order; suspension or cancellation for failing to give it), s.52 (appeal within thirty days), s.54 (employment through an unlicensed contractor). Opened and read.
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 345(E) dated 8 May 2026, mirrored copy of the Gazette. Rules cited: r.89(2)(ii) (number not to exceed the licence on any day), r.93(5) (changes notified on Shram Suvidha), r.94 (intimation of work order: fifteen days, contents, by the contractor or representative, electronically). Opened and read [VERIFY: against the e-Gazette original].
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Tamil Nadu) Rules, 2022 (draft), G.O. Ms. No. 38, 11 April 2022, Tamil Nadu Government Gazette Extraordinary No. 216. Rules cited: r.44(2) (intimation as a licence condition), r.46(2)(ii) (number not to exceed the licence), r.50(5) (changes notified in Form XII), r.51 (intimation of work order: fifteen days, contents, portals), r.52 (suspension or cancellation procedure). Opened and read.